There are conventional controllers capable of accommodating an information processing device therein. For example, there is a controller capable of accommodating a mobile telephone, with a left key plate and a right key plate sandwiching the mobile telephone therebetween. The controller can communicate with the mobile telephone by connecting the connection terminal of the controller to the mobile telephone.
With the controller described above, a user first needs to connect the connection terminal of the controller to the mobile telephone, and then needs to place the mobile telephone between the key plates and sandwich the mobile telephone therebetween.
Thus, the present application discloses a controller that can be easily attached to an information processing device.
An example game controller described herein is removably attachable to a main unit having a main unit-side slide member and configured to execute a game process. The game controller includes an operation section and a controller-side slide member. The controller-side slide member is provided protruding from a first surface of the game controller and configured to slidably engage with the main unit-side slide member in a slide direction. The controller-side slide member has a first end and a second end in the slide direction. The game controller is configured to be attached to the main unit by inserting the controller-side slide member into the main unit-side slide member from the first end. The controller-side slide member includes a protruding portion and at least one terminal. The protruding portion protrudes from the first end side of the controller-side slide member in the slide direction and having an facing surface that faces the first surface of the game controller. The at least one terminal is between the facing surface and the first surface, wherein the terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the main unit.
The terminal may extend along the facing surface.
The terminal may be on the facing surface.
The terminal may be configured to flex into a slot in the facing surface.
A side of the terminal that faces the first surface may be exposed.
The protruding portion may include a wall on the facing surface that protrudes from the facing surface, the wall being on one side or on both sides of the terminal with respect to a direction substantially perpendicular to the slide direction.
An inner wall of the wall portion facing the terminal may flare away from the terminal in a direction that is also toward a distal end of the protruding portion.
A distal end of the terminal may between a center of the controller-side slide member and than a distal end of the protruding portion.
The protruding portion may be tapered toward the distal end.
An end portion of the protruding portion may have a second surface that is sloped away from the first surface and toward the distal end of the protruding portion.
An intersection between the facing surface and a second surface at the distal end may be a chamfer.
The terminal is one of a plurality of terminals between the facing surface and the first surface. The plurality of terminals may be arranged next to each other in a direction that is substantially parallel to the facing surface and substantially perpendicular to the slide direction, the terminals being exposed on one side that corresponds to the first end side of the controller-side slide member.
The operation section may be on a front surface of the game controller. The first surface may be a side surface relative to the front surface.
The controller-side slide member may be a rail extending substantially parallel to the slide direction.
The rail may extend from near a first end to near a second end of the first surface in the slide direction.
A cross section of the controller-side slide member taken perpendicular to the slide direction may have a shape where a width of a first portion to the first surface is narrower than a width of a second portion that is farther away from the first surface than the first portion.
A protruding portion protruding in the slide direction may be absent at the second end of the controller-side slide member.
An end surface of the controller-side slide member at the second end may be a flat surface extending from the first surface.
The game controller may further include a stop member. The stop member resists a slide movement of the controller-side slide member against the main unit-side slide member in a direction opposite to a direction in which the controller-side slide member is inserted into the main unit-side slide member when the controller-side slide member has been inserted up to a predetermined position into the main unit-side slide member.
The game controller may further include a stop member. The stop member is configured to stop the main unit-side slide member when the controller-side slide member has been inserted up to a predetermined position into the main unit-side slide member, wherein the stop member protrudes from the controller-side slide member in a direction that is perpendicular to the slide direction and parallel to the first surface.
The stop member may be on the second end side of a center of the controller-side slide member in the slide direction.
The stop member may protrude from the first surface of the game controller or from a side surface of the controller-side slide member substantially perpendicular to the first surface.
The terminal may be on the facing surface. A surface on a reverse side of the protruding portion from the facing surface may comprise a metal member over at least a part of an area where the terminal is on the facing surface, and a remaining portion of the protruding portion may comprise a resin member.
The game controller may further comprise an insulator between the terminal and the metal member.
The game controller may further include a water-resisting member between the terminal and the metal member.
The game controller may further include an electronic circuit including a ground portion. The terminal may be a ground terminal electrically connected to the ground portion. The metal member may further include a ground connecting portion electrically connected to the ground portion.
The game controller may have side surfaces. The first surface may be one of the side surfaces. The operation section may include a first input section on one of the side surfaces that corresponds to the second end side in the slide direction.
The controller-side slide member may be configured to be inserted into the main unit-side slide member on at least one of left and right side surfaces relative to a surface of the main unit that includes a display and from an upper side of the main unit-side slide member.
The operation section may include a directional input section enabling inputs of at least four directions of up, down, left and right.
The directional input section may output a two-dimensional value representing a direction and a quantity that have been input.
The directional input section may be an input device including an input member that is configured to be tilted or slid, from a reference position, in at least four directions of up, down, left and right.
The operation section may include a save-an-image input section for giving an instruction to save an image being displayed on a display of the main unit.
The game controller may further include an infrared image-capturing device.
The operation section may include a second input section on a surface of the controller-side slide member that faces the same direction as the first surface.
The present specification also discloses an example information processing device that can be attached to the game controller, and an example controller system (referred to also as an information processing system) including the game controller and the information processing device. The present specification also discloses a method to be carried out in the information processing system. The present specification also discloses an information processing program that causes a computer to execute some of the processes to be executed on the information processing system, the information processing device or the game controller (in other words, causes a computer to function as some of the various units of the information processing system, the information processing device or the game controller).
With the game controller set forth above, a controller can be easily attached to an information processing device.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.